The Office of Mission and Ministry appointed a chaplain for the Marquette Police Department, around five months after it was officially commissioned.
It was announced on Oct. 12 that the Rev. Kent Beausoleil, associate dean of student development and pastoral minister for Schroeder Hall, will take the position. His start date has not been determined.
“I found out they didn’t have a police chaplain and asked if they wanted one,” Beausoleil said.
Beausoleil connected with MUPD after giving an invocation for the police academy’s graduation ceremony in August.
Raised in a family of police officers and military personnel, Beausoleil said he’s aware of the support needed for police officers. He said his role includes providing spiritual and pastoral support to officers, referring police to campus resources and visiting hospitalized officers.
The chaplain also helps MUPD link its work to the university’s mission, spends time with the officers on duty and addresses needs of students in crisis.
“In my heart I would like to give back to these men and women in service,” Beausoleil said. “I want to offer my pastoral support wherever I can and I appreciate the need for support for the officers serving and protecting.”
Beausoleil said he is most looking forward to getting to know the police department, hearing their stories and becoming more familiar with their work, what they are doing and what their needs are.
MUPD Captain Jeff Kranz said having a police department chaplain is not an uncommon thing. He said Germantown, Brookfield and a number of other agencies around Milwaukee have chaplains for their police and fire departments.
“I think it is excellent,” Kranz said. “(Beausoleil) acts as a spiritual resource. It gives officers a resource to go to and a resource in the community as well.”
Stephanie Russell, vice president for OMM, also praised the selection.
“We are grateful for Fr. Beausoleil’s generosity in taking on this role,” Russell said in a university news release. “He brings a deep commitment to the well-being of the officers and staff, and to advancing mission integration in the work of the Marquette Police Department.”
